Nike Launches 2017 Betrue Collection to Support LGBTQ Community

If you like your purchases to have purpose — and are in the market for a new pair of cute yet functional running shoes — look no further than Nike's latest installment of its Betrue collection. This year's iteration features four new pairs of rainbow-inspired shoes, a few workout tops emblazoned with inspiring messages, and a pair of rainbow-gradient socks.

Betrue was launched in 2012 as a small grassroots movement among some of the brand's employees, and has since expanded into a full-blown collection that "supports inclusion on and off the field of play" the company explains in a statement.

"The key for us was to create something that people could unite around to show their support for LGBTQ athletes," Nike LGBT Network leader Robert Gorman said in a statement. "Sporting your rainbow in the gym or on a run became a way to feel like you belonged to something larger — you were connected to being 'out' or being an ally. The rainbow has and always will be incorporated into the Betrue product in some way."

All of the shoes prominently feature a rainbow pattern in some form and have either "RUN FIERCE" or "BEEN TRUE" printed onto their sock liners. The coolest pair, hands down, is the NikeLab Air VaporMax Flyknit Betrue, which comprises a deep purply-blue upper and translucent rainbow-striped sole. There's also the Flyknit Racer Betrue, a black-and-white breathable shoe with the first-ever rainbow Nike swoosh on the side, and a Betrue version of the classic suede Cortez style that has a rainbow ribbon running the length of the shoe's tongue.

The collection's new shirts are equally meaningful. The most whimsical is a white muscle tank with a rainbow-colored unicorn prancing in front of a black triangle with "BETRUE." layered on top of the mystical creature. (Yes, even Nike has cashed in on the unicorn trend.)

Since 2012, Nike has donated about $2.5 million to LGBTQ causes, the Betrue launch page explains. And earlier this year, Nike launched the Equality initiative, "in which Nike encourages people to take the fairness and respect they see in sport and translate them off the field," according to the brand. Shop the collection starting June 5 at nike.com/betrue.